Insulting member for a hole in an attic floor

Abstract

A multimode or multi-configuration insulation assembly includes a cover and a frame. The frame has a seal or gasket which may be oriented upwardly in a first configuration or oriented downwardly in a second configuration. In the first configuration, the insulation assembly defines an insulative 5-sided box. In the second configuration, the insulation assembly is a four-sided frame with a removable cover, which enables the four-sided frame to remain installed on the attic floor to act as a dam to hold back blown-in attic insulation when the cover is removed to permit ingress and egress to the attic through the opening formed in the attic floor.

The invention claimed is: 
     
       1. A multi-mode insulation assembly comprising:
 a frame formed from insulation material having four sidewalls with each sidewall including an inner surface and an outer surface, and the frame including a first surface and a second surface; 
 a securing mechanism on at least one of the four sidewalls; 
 a cover formed from insulation material; 
 wherein the multi-mode insulation assembly is moveable between two configurations, including:
 (i) an installed first configuration in which the first surface of the frame is fixedly connected to the cover with the securing mechanism, and the second surface of the frame is proximate an attic floor, thereby defining an inverted five-sided box that is removably placed on the attic floor; and 
 (ii) an installed second configuration in which the first surface is fixedly connected to the attic floor with the securing mechanism, and the second surface is proximate the cover thereby defining a four-sided frame fixedly connected to the attic floor with the cover removably connected to the four-sided frame and the four sidewalls forming an insulation dam to prevent loose-fill insulation in an attic from falling through an access opening in the attic floor. 
 
 
     
     
       2. The multi-mode insulation assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the cover includes a bottom surface, wherein the entirety of the bottom surface is vertically above the frame in both the installed first configuration and the installed second configuration. 
     
     
       3. The multi-mode insulation assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the cover includes a bottom surface aligned along a horizontal plane positioned above the first surface and above the second surface of the frame in both the installed first configuration and the installed second configuration. 
     
     
       4. The multi-mode insulation assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the cover is free of a depending portion that extends downwardly into the frame. 
     
     
       5. The multi-mode insulation assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the cover is a substantially planar member formed from insulating material having an upwardly facing top surface and downwardly facing bottom surface. 
     
     
       6. The multi-mode insulation assembly of  claim 5 , wherein the cover has a width complementary to the width of the frame and the cover has a length complementary to the length of the frame. 
     
     
       7. The multi-mode insulation assembly of  claim 6 , wherein the cover and the frame are formed from similar insulation material. 
     
     
       8. The multi-mode insulation assembly of  claim 7 , wherein the cover and the frame are formed from polyisocyanurate foam board. 
     
     
       9. The multi-mode insulation assembly of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a gasket attached to the second surface, wherein when the multi-mode insulation assembly is in the installed first configuration, the gasket sealingly contacts the attic floor to define a substantially hermetic seal for the five-sided box, and when the multi-mode insulation assembly is in the installed second configuration, the frame is inverted and the first surface engages the attic floor and the gasket is oriented vertically above and spaced apart from the attic floor to sealingly contact the cover for the four-sided frame. 
 
     
     
       10. The multi-mode insulation assembly of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a vertical height of the frame measured from the first surface to the second surface; and 
 a vertical depth of the attic insulation, wherein the vertical height of the frame is greater than the vertical depth of the attic insulation. 
 
     
     
       11. The multi-mode insulation assembly of  claim 10 , wherein the vertical height of the frame is in a range from 15% to 200% greater than the vertical depth of the attic insulation. 
     
     
       12. The multi-mode insulation assembly of  claim 11 , wherein the vertical height of the frame is about 25% greater than the vertical depth of the attic insulation. 
     
     
       13. A method comprising:
 providing a frame and cover, both formed of insulating material, wherein the frame includes a first surface and a second surface and the cover includes a top surface and a bottom surface, and a securing mechanism on at least one of four sidewalls of the frame; 
 selecting whether the frame and cover are to be installed in one of a first configuration and a second configuration; 
 wherein if the first configuration is selected, then orienting the first surface on the frame near an attic floor to define a five-sided box that covers an access opening in the attic floor, and in which the second surface of the frame is fixedly connected to the cover via the securing mechanism; and 
 wherein if the second configuration is selected, then orienting a second surface on the frame near the attic floor in which the second surface is fixedly connected to the attic floor via the securing mechanism so as to allow the first surface to be oriented upwardly to define a four-sided frame secured to the attic floor with the cover removably connected to the frame and the four sidewalls forming an insulation dam, and damming external attic insulation to preclude the external attic insulation from moving through the attic access opening. 
 
     
     
       14. The method of  claim 13 , further comprising:
 connecting the second surface of the frame with the attic floor; 
 disconnecting the second surface of the frame from the attic floor; and 
 inverting the frame. 
 
     
     
       15. The method of  claim 14 , further comprising:
 connecting, subsequent to inverting the frame, the first surface of the frame to the attic floor; and 
 effecting a dam to prevent attic insulation from falling through the attic floor. 
 
     
     
       16. The method of  claim 15 , further comprising:
 connecting, in a releasable manner, the cover to the frame; and 
 disconnecting the cover from the frame while the frame is connected to the attic floor to dam the attic insulation. 
 
     
     
       17. The method of  claim 16 , further comprising:
 sealing, hermetically, the frame to the attic floor. 
 
     
     
       18. The method of  claim 16 , further comprising:
 effecting a vertical height of the frame to be in a range from 15% to 200% greater than a depth of the attic insulation.